|
Despite
having some of the most developed social protection systems in the world, 68
million people remain at risk of poverty in the European Union. To address
this challenge, EU leaders made a firm commitment to fight poverty as part of
the Lisbon strategy and agreed on a coordinated approach, including common
objectives, to combat exclusion.
Much has already been achieved but many challenges still lie ahead. The fight
against poverty and exclusion needs to be based on concrete and focused
priorities and policies need to attack the sources of current poverty and
exclusion as well as anticipating possible future shifts in poverty risk.
This is especially important in the context of future demographic and social
change. Eradicating child poverty addresses both of these issues, while
making a hugely valuable contribution to ensuring the fullest possible future
mobilisation of Europe's human resources.
It is in this context that the Directorate-General Employment of the European
Commission commissioned a survey that examines public opinion about poverty
and exclusion in the European Union.
Between the 14th of February and the 18th of March 2007, TNS Opinion &
Social, a consortium formed by TNS and EOS Gallup Europe interviewed 26,466
EU citizens aged 15 and over living in the 27 European Union Member States
and 1,000 residents of Croatia. The methodology used is that of the Standard
Eurobarometer surveys of the Directorate-General Communication (“Public
Opinion and Media Monitoring” Unit). A technical note concerning the
interviews, carried out by the institutes of the TNS Opinion & Social
network, is annexed to this report. This note specifies the interview method
used, as well as the confidence intervals1. This report studies the following
issues related to poverty and exclusion covered by the survey.
First of all, we focus on the perceived existence of poverty in the European
Union: to what extent are Europeans themselves affected by poverty and to
what extent do they see poverty in the area in which they live? In this
chapter we furthermore look at attitudes towards poverty: is it an inherited
or acquired condition, what causes poverty and why do people live in need?
The second part of the report focuses on one of the most extreme forms of
exclusion, homelessness: why do people become homeless, what is the perceived
risk of becoming homeless oneself and what do Europeans do to help homeless
people?
In the final part we examine what Europeans regard necessary in order to have
a decent standard of living with regards to financial means, housing needs,
ownership of durable goods, basic necessities and social integration. We also
look specifically at people’s views concerning the requirements and the needs
of children to live and develop well. We end the report with an examination
of how people’s attitudes towards poverty relate to what they consider
necessary for a decent standard of living.
|